Photo by Joselyn King Members of the Wheeling Park High School Mark I and Mark III robotics teams show the plaques they received after winning state robotics championship this month.

WHEELING – Seventeen Ohio County students will go to Dallas and the VEX Robotics World Championship after winning top honors at the recent state robotics championships.

A team from Wheeling Park High School took top honors in what was Ohio County’s first year competing in robotics contests, while other high school and middle school robotics students also won awards.

The state robotics championships took place March 13 at Fairmont State University.

The winning Ohio County students next will compete against robotics teams from around the country and throughout the world while at the world championships May 2-8 in Dallas.

Ohio County Schools has obtained a $17,000 Career and Technical Education grant to pay for 17 students and five coaches to travel to Texas, Superintendent Kim Miller told board of education members.

The Ohio County Board of Education this week celebrated both the 42nd state championship for the Wheeling Park High School speech and debate team as well as the first state championship and awards for robotics teams.

Robotics team coaches see their program in the same place the speech program was in the late 1970s when it began its iconic run.

While there was some robotics instruction at the high school in past years, competitive robotics teams didn’t even exist in the school district before this school year, explained JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for Ohio County Schools. Robotics programs were expanded to middle schools last semester, and a robotics arena was constructed at the high school last fall.

In robotics competitions, middle school and high school students often compete against each other.

“By the time these middle school students are at Park, Park will be unbeatable,” said Amber Bishop, teacher and robotics coach at Triadelphia Middle School.

All of the championship and runners-up competitors advance to the world championships.

Members of the WPHS Mark I and Mark III teams jointly took home the state championship this year. Members included Azariah Bayes, Will Fuller, Ethan Matz, Seth Scott, Elio Khamsoucksaly, Carlos Zavala Romero, Joshua Perez and Wyatt Wheeler.

WPHS robotics teacher and coach Luke Shepherd became especially emotional when talking about his students.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these kids,” he said. “Two years ago, I started with five kids and COVID robbed them of their last year.

“This year I started fresh, and some of these kids had never seen a robot before.”

Shepherd said both he and his students learned a lot while competing this year, and this should propel them to even greater success next year and in the years moving forward.

“They are literally the epitome of dedication. They eat, sleep and drink this stuff,” he said of his students. “They are one of the most dedicated groups I have ever seen.”

Ken Dague, teacher and robotics coach at Bridge Street Middle School admitted he was “terrified of robots” and even those his students created in his first year with the program.

Members of the Steel Devils I and II team from Bridge Street were runners-up in the middle school division. Students competing on the teams were Levi Henry, Dillon McNabb, Mya White, Emerson Kosol, Emma McNickle, Josh Hess, Khadija Rizwan, Morgan Kandis and Lily Mae Dague.

Also at the state championships, the Steel Devils 1 team consisting of Henry, McNabb and White were selected the middle schools skills champions.

“We will win the whole thing next year,” Dague said. “We will be a powerhouse starting next year.”

They won’t be attending the world championships, but Rosie’s Raiders, a team from Triadelphia Middle School, did steal judges’ hearts while competing this year.

The team initially consisted of three girls – Ella Wheeler, Tiarra Thompson and Jordan Miller – who donned denim jackets and wore red polka dot headbands in the spirit of Rosie the Riveter. They were later joined by a male student, Isaiah Karrasch. They made him a red polka dot bow tie, but he didn’t wear it, according to Bishop.

Rosie’s Raiders took home the judge’s award honoring their progression throughout the season.